UTILIZATION AND COMPOSITION OF ORIENTAL VEGETABLES 51 
Japanese Taro {Colocasia esculent a). (Fig. 46) 
Chinese name: Woo-chai 
Japanese name: Ko-inio 
Shape: Corms, vary from round to. oblong. 
Size: Two to three inches long; l 1 /^ to 2 inches in diameter. 
Color: Skin, coarse, dark gray or gray with traces of purple with loose dark 
or gray fiber; llesh, white or pink (7, p. 'i~>~>. ) 
Ko-imo is the general name applied to three or more varieties of 
Japanese taro belonging to the dasheen group. Ko-imo means 
Figure 46. — Japanese taro 
" small tuber," and refers especially to the young cormels of the 
Miyako, Aka-do, and Tru-no-ko varieties, which are extensively 
grown in Haw r aii. The varieties are either white or pink-fleshed. 
Usually the corms, or oya-imo, and the cormels of the pink variety 
are edible, the corms of the white variety are edible but not palatable, 
and only the cormels of the white variety are preferred. 
The Japanese vegetable vendors usually keep a supply of pared 
or scraped taros for the convenience of regular purchasers. These 
taros may be found submerged in water in a container and should 
not be mistaken for some other vegetable. 
